Kansas City Royals Sign Free Agent Jeff Francoeur: What This Means For KC

Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesFrancoeur has ties to Royals GM Dayton Moore, as the pair were both in the Braves organiation for awhile.

750

Reads

2

Comments

Earlier today, the Kansas City Royals made it official that they have indeed signed free agent outfielder Jeff Francoeur.

The team announced that it was a one-year dear that includes an option for 2012, and is still pending a physical.

The signing also puts to rest the rumors about Royals GM Dayton Moore trying to sign Francoeur many times in the past.

Moore also mentioned recently that he was looking into adding a right-handed hitting corner-outfielder, and to him, "Frenchy" fits the bill for this.

With Francoeur now in the mix, this now changes up a lackluster Royals outfield and give the offense a fresh, new bat in the lineup.

He will likely be penciled in as the starting right-fielder for KC in '11, as Kansas City only has Mitch Maier and Gregor Blanco as the other likely candidates for that position.

Overall, Francoeur is a low-risk, high-return kind of player as he has shown he has power(29 homers in '06) and can field as well throughout his brief career(he won a gold glove for his efforts on the diamond during the season).

However, he has also been largely an inconsistent hitter throughout his time at the major league level, and has struggled getting on base with a .310 lifetime OBP.

What Franceour really means for the Royals is that they now have a new outfield starter for next season that should be able to contribute to the team immediately.

The big question with him is if he can produce at a level that will impact the club and if he can play well enough to be a long-term answer for the team's future.

The answer remains to be seen, but we will find out in a matter of months if "Frenchy" still has it.